


Alliances

by Persiflage



Series: The Adepts [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe - World War II, Empath, F/F, F/M, Historical Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Telekinesis, Telepathy, Teleportation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-29
Updated: 2014-01-29
Packaged: 2018-01-10 11:54:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1159432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Persiflage/pseuds/Persiflage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lin, Karl, and Val forge new alliances in the aftermath of their escape from their warring homeland.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alliances

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tayryn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tayryn/gifts), [Wolfsbride](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfsbride/gifts).



> This story follows on from 'Forged in Fire' fairly closely.  
> EVERYTHING HERE IS MINE! (But I still ain't making a profit!)

Lin could feel a mixture of emotions coming from the men in the room as she followed the aide into Committee Room 4: hostility, curiosity, anger, disbelief. She wasn't able to sort out who was feeling which emotion just yet, but if she was honest, none of those emotions were a surprise to her. The four men whom she faced as she stood in front of the long table at which they were seated were all powerful in their own way: George Masters was the current Angiloi Prime Minister, and he had a reputation for level-headedness that often took his political enemies by surprise; Richard Finch was the newly appointed Minster of War, having previously headed the Ministry of Defence; dark-skinned James Mistral was the Air Chief Marshall, and would be responsible for taking the war to the Germani, assuming the politicians accepted as true the story she'd brought to them; the fourth, and youngest, man was William Carvill, who was head of the Angiloi Secret Service.

Lin knew Carvill's reputation fairly well; before the war which her former homeland seemed intent on waging against the rest of the world, Lin had encountered agents of the Angiloi SS during the course of her work for the Germani State Security Agency. Carvill was a meticulous planner with an eye for detail, but also a positive flair for creativity when it came to dealing with enemies of Angiloi.

"Good afternoon, Miss Kluge." Carvill's tone was courteous, but she sensed his hostility, despite the fact that he was shielding his emotions from her.

"Good afternoon gentlemen."

"Please be seated."

Lin sat down and looked at the four men: Mistral and Finch only met her gaze briefly before giving their attention to the slim buff folders in front of them, but she sensed Mistral's anger and Finch's disbelief that the Prime Minister was going to listen to someone whom they regarded as an enemy.

Masters, however, was openly curious, and she felt a little relieved that his emotions were less negative than those of the other three. "Miss Kluge, we've been through the report you made to the Prime Minister of Sweonas, which she forwarded on to us, and we have a number of questions for you. However, before we proceed, we do feel the need to verify the honesty of your assertion that you are here without the assent of the Germani State Security Agency."

"Of course." Lin had expected nothing less. In fact, she was a bit surprised that they'd let her meet these four men without verifying that already. 

"If you wouldn't mind, Carvill," Masters said.

There was a certain woodenness to Carvill's expression as he got up, walked around the table and crossed towards Lin.

"Like you, I am a telepath and a telempath," he told her, and held out his hand. 

She gave a brisk nod, then put her hand in his; as his hand clasped hers, Lin caught a fleeting glimpse of the image of a young woman in Carvill's mind, but he banished it, and she had to admire his iron self-control. As they looked into each other's minds, she felt his absolute determination to protect Angiloi against the Germani threat, starting with Lin herself, if necessary.

He let go of Lin's hand with a soft grunt, and she made a point of maintaining eye contact, and not rubbing at her fingers which were aching from his tight grip. He gave a brief nod, then returned to his seat. 

"Well, Mr Carvill?"

"Lin Kluge tells the truth," Carvill told the Prime Minister. "She hates what Hiedler is doing to the Adepts, and others, with a fiery passion. She wishes to see the labour and extermination camps closed, and to stop the Germani High Command from waging this war."

Masters glanced across at her, then back to Carvill. "How far would you trust her?"

"With my life."

Lin was astonished by this answer: she'd expected him to hedge his bets at least a little, but there was no doubting the sincerity in his voice. The other men seemed equally surprised by his answer, and Mistral asked, "You really mean that?"

"Yes." Carvill looked at their surprised expressions, sighed, then said, "My twin sister works for the Angiloi Secret Service – she uses our mother's maiden name to minimise the number of people who know we're related. Eighteen months ago, she was sent on a mission into Germania to see if she could verify certain reports we'd been receiving from our undercover agents there." He flicked a glance at Lin, as if looking for a reaction but she kept her face expressionless. She suddenly knew who the young woman in his mind had been, and knew, too, what story he was going to tell.

"Mary was captured by the Germani. Ms Kluge was part of the group that dealt with her after Mary's capture, but when her countrymen began to treat Mary with violence, Ms Kluge intervened and helped Mary to escape, even though she was risking her own career if she was found out."

The other three men looked at Lin, and she felt their respect for the actions she'd taken. It was funny, she reflected, that the young woman, whom she had only known as prisoner 413, should have turned out to be related to the head of the Angiloi Secret Service. Not that she would have acted any differently if she had known of the connection: no one deserved to be tortured just for doing their job, and the Angiloi SS were known to treat captured Germani intelligence officers with decency. As far as Lin was concerned, it was in the interests of the Germani State Security Agency's officers to do the same, or risk being mistreated should word ever get back to Angiloi that the Germani were abusing their captured officers.

"Very well," said the Prime Minister, turning his attention back to Lin. "We have some questions to put to you, and we leave it to you to decide how detailed your answers are going to be. You came to us of your own volition, so we will not coerce you or ask you to go against your conscience."

"Thank you." Lin settled more comfortably in her chair, and waited for the questions to begin.

# # # #

It was past one o'clock when Lin was finally allowed to leave; she wasn't very surprised that Carvill chose to walk her out of the building, nor that he offered to buy her lunch.

"Thank you, Mr Carvill, but I'm meeting my friends for lunch."

"Some other time, then." He held out his hand to her and she shook. "I would like to buy you lunch or dinner to thank you for what you did for Mary, and I know she'd want me to thank you too."

"I only did what any decent human being would have done," Lin said, feeling slightly embarrassed by the strength of his respect and admiration, which he wasn't bothering to try to hide. 

"Perhaps. If Mary was at home, I'd invite you to dine with us there, but unfortunately she's away on a mission, and I have no idea if she'll be back before you head to Scotia to track down your friend's sister."

"Well, I was planning to return to Lunden before I leave Angiloi, so maybe she will be back by then."

"I hope so. And do, please, let me know if I can be of any further assistance in tracing your friend's sister. Thomas Buchanan is an excellent man, and I am sure that he will take your search seriously – the letter of introduction I gave you will certainly help in that respect. But if there's anything else I can do, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you."

He released Lin's hand, then gave her an old-fashioned bow, before he turned back to Holbein Gate House, where the Government had the majority of its offices.

Lin set out to walk to the lodging house where she, Karl, and Val had been staying. Now that she had made her report to the Angiloi Government, she and her friends would be making the journey north to Scotia in the hope of tracing the sister of Tamhas Kerr, who had died helping them to escape from Germania. Tamhas had given Lin the address of the aunt to whom he had sent his younger sister when the war had broken out, but he hadn't known if Lin would find Aileen Kerr with his aunt since he'd heard nothing from Aileen after she'd left Germania.

If Tamhas' aunt didn't know of her niece's whereabouts, Lin had Carvill's letter of introduction to Thomas Buchanan, who was his counterpart in Scotia, but she hoped very much to find Aileen Kerr with her aunt.

Lin reached the boarding house and let herself in. She sensed that both Karl and Val were waiting anxiously for her in the common room, so she headed down the hall to the large room at the back of the house to join them.

"Thank goodness you're back!" Val's arms were around her and she was being hugged so tightly that Lin felt breathless.

"Val, you can let me go now," Lin said gently. "Did you think I wasn't going to come back? I said I would. And I told you I didn't know how long the session at Holbein Gate House would take."

"I know you did." She sounded almost tearful and Lin cast a questioning look at Karl, who shook his head slightly.

She sensed that Karl was as puzzled by Val's reaction as Lin. She gently pulled herself free, then guided Val to sit on the sofa.

"What's wrong?"

Val shook her head. "Nothing. I'm just being silly."

"What made you think I wouldn't be coming back?"

Val shrugged. "I don't know. I was just worried that they'd think you were a Germani spy, and that they wouldn't let you leave."

"Well they didn't think that. In fact, things went very well this morning, and there's no reason we can't leave for Scotia tomorrow. Now, are you ready to go to lunch?"

"I – Do you mind if I stay here, instead? I've got a headache."

"Then of course you must stay," Lin said immediately. "Come on, let's get you up to our room and into bed." She helped Val to her feet again, then put an arm around her friend and led her from the room. As she left she saw Karl resume his seat by the window, and gave him an apologetic look, but he only smiled in response.

Twenty minutes later, she returned to the common room to find that Karl was still its only occupant, and when he got to his feet and held out his arms to her, she didn't hesitate to step into his embrace.

"You look frazzled," he said softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"I feel it, just a bit," she answered. "I think Val's biggest problem is that she's homesick, and she's worried that I'm going to abandon her here in this strange city."

"Can't you reassure her?"

"I've tried," Lin said. "It's not that she doesn't trust me not to leave her behind, it's just that she's so far out of her depth that she's over-reacting to her fears. I'm hoping that once we're on our way to Scotia she'll feel a bit calmer – having something definite to do should help her, I think."

"Let's hope so. Do you want to stay here, rather than go to lunch?"

She shook her head. "I'd rather go out, if it's all right with you."

"I'd like that." 

He gave her one last gentle squeeze, then released her, and she felt grateful for his restraint, and guilty for requiring him to restrain himself in the first place. She knew how much he desired her, and her own desire for him was just as strong, but there was Val's desire for her to consider too, as well as Lin's own feeling that entering into a relationship with either one of them would be a poor decision while Germania was doing its best to bring about, if not Armageddon, then a global disaster. She knew Karl didn't really agree with her – he thought they should grab every chance of happiness that came their way – but he was willing to wait for her to change her mind, or the war to end, whichever came first.

"Let me grab my coat, and then we'll go."

She nodded and followed more slowly as he hurried out and went upstairs to his room. While he was gone Lin went to the reception desk and asked the landlady to keep an eye on Val, explaining that she was suffering from a headache.

"Oh it's no trouble at all to look after the lass," the landlady said cheerfully. "I've things to do upstairs so I'll stick my head around the door now and then to make sure she's all right."

"Thank you, Mrs Lee. I appreciate your kindness."

The landlady smiled and disclaimed any great kindness; Lin sensed she was a motherly sort who missed having anyone to fuss over since her two children were grown up and her husband had passed away two years ago.

Karl appeared, his coat on and a scarf wrapped around his neck, and Lin went to join him.

# # # #

The following evening saw Lin, Karl, and Val boarding a sleeper train to Eidyn Burgh, the capital city of Scotia. Lin had been worried about the cost of the trip, but one of Carvill's underlings had checked with the Bank of Berline, which had a branch in Lunden, and she had ascertained that the Germani High Command had yet to freeze their assets back home, so they'd each withdrawn the bulk of their funds, then deposited them in new accounts which they'd opened at the Sweonas Internationale Bank. This meant they had funds for purchasing more clothes, berths on the sleeper train, and any other expenses they might incur, which had been a great relief.

That morning the King had issued a proclamation on the radio to tell the Angiloins that the country was now at war with the Germani, and everywhere the trio had gone during the day, they'd heard discussions about the war: some were confident that the war would be over quickly now, but others were more doubtful. There was discussion of the Royal Navy, as well as the Royal Flying Corps, and Lin noted that the typical Angiloin on the street has great faith in both the airmen and the seamen. They had passed a crowd of men waiting outside an army recruiting office, too, as they made their way to the Sweonas Internationale Bank, and Lin had realised the men, young and old, were there to volunteer to fight against the Germani. She felt an odd lurch in her guts at the realisation that these men would be sent to invade her former homeland, but she could not regret abandoning Germania.

They ate a late meal on the train, in a lounge car full of noisy passengers who seemed not to notice the subdued trio at the corner table, then they took themselves to their sleeper berths. Val fell asleep quickly, but Lin lay awake still; she was wondering if William Carvill would permit her to become a double agent so that she could go back to Germania and do her best to bring down the Fuehrer and his closest commanders. Eventually the rhythm of the train wheels on the track lulled her to sleep and she sank into dreams in which she made the Fuehrer regret ever mistreating a single Adept.

# # # #

The three friends stumbled out of the train at seven o'clock the following morning, feeling disorientated by their dislocation to yet another country and city. Fortunately the station boasted an hotel with a restaurant where they were able to book rooms and break their fast before they began making enquiries about the whereabouts of Tamhas' aunt: they had her address, but being strangers, they had no idea in which part of the city she lived.

"Would you mind if I stayed here this morning?" Val asked tentatively as she ate a piece of dry toast. She looked pale, and Lin sensed that she felt unwell.

"Of course not. Do you want me to find out of the hotel has a resident doctor?"

Val shook her head. "I just want to lie down somewhere quiet and dark." 

"Then you should do that, and Karl and I will see about finding Tamhas' aunt, and hopefully his sister too. I'll look in on you at lunchtime."

Val gave a brief nod, then got up from the dining table and made her way across the restaurant.

"Is she all right?" Karl asked.

"I suspect she's got a migraine," Lin said. "I think I'll ask about a resident doctor, just in case."

He nodded, and she sensed that he was feeling both guilty and relieved that Val wouldn't be accompanying them. She couldn't really blame him since she felt much the same way, and she found herself wishing, not for the first time, that Val hadn't fallen so hard for her.

With a sigh of resignation she concentrated on finishing her breakfast, then she and Karl made their way to the reception desk and asked the young woman there where they might find Heriot Row. She gave them directions, and offered to get them a taxi, but Lin declined, saying they preferred to walk.

Eidyn Burgh was a pleasant city set within a ring of seven hills, which Lin had learned was the result of volcanic action many centuries earlier. The largest such hill was the site of the Castle, a well-fortified building that could still be used as a defence against invaders should it become necessary. Lin couldn't help liking the city – the air here was somewhat clearer than down in Lunden, which she suspected was owing to the fact that there was less heavy industry near the city as it was located outside the ring of hills.

They found Miss Kerr's house quite easily, and the door was opened by a woman who was much their own age, in her early thirties, with a kindly and friendly expression on her face, despite being confronted by two strangers.

"Miss Kerr?" Lin asked.

"That's right," she said, and Lin immediately detected a soft burr in her voice which was pleasant to her ears. "I'm Iona Kerr."

"I hope you will forgive our intrusion, but we're looking for Miss Aileen Kerr, your niece, and sister to Tamhas Kerr."

The woman's eyebrows rose, but she stepped backwards and gestured for them to enter the house. "Come in."

"Thank you." They stepped inside and waited while Iona Kerr closed the front door again. 

"You'd better come through to the sitting room." She led the way down a short hallway to a neat room at the back of the house, and invited them to sit down. "Why might you be looking for Aileen?"

"We wanted to be sure that she actually made it back to Scotia," Lin explained. "Your nephew Tamhas told us he'd sent her to you after the Germani war broke out, but he didn't hear from her again, and he was concerned."

"But not concerned enough to come himself?" Iona asked.

"I'm sorry, Miss Kerr, but your nephew is dead." Lin watched her closely, sensing the surge of disbelief and anger that rose up in her mind, to be followed swiftly afterwards by a sense of sadness and resignation.

"How did he die?" 

Lin told her, emphasising Tamhas' courage and compassion towards his fellow camp inmates, as well as the way he'd gone to rescue Karl, Val, and Henning. Karl added his own comments as well, and Lin sensed Iona's growing pride in her nephew.

"Tamhas' dying wish was that I come to Scotia and seek out his sister, so that we would know she had made it back safely, even though he would die without that knowledge."

"She made it back," Iona said, "but she's not here. She hadn't been back no more than a week before a chap came to see her to ask her to put her Germani language skills to use."

"Who was the chap?" 

"Said his name was Thomas Buchanan, but he didn't say who he worked for, just that my niece's assistance would be very important."

Lin sensed Karl's interest in this piece of news, and Iona Kerr's puzzlement at why her niece's language skills should be of value. "I see. Your nephew's body is being kept in Malmhaug, in the morgue at the Royal Hospital, and my friend Henning Gunnarsson is willing to arrange to have Tamhas' body shipped back to Scotia, if you prefer to have him laid to rest here." She dug in her pocket and took out a piece of paper. "If you send Henning a telegram with your telephone number, he will telephone you back to make the arrangements."

Iona gulped, and Lin sensed she wasn't far off tears. "If there's anything we can do for you, while we're in Scotia, you only have to ask." She scribbled the name of their hotel and its telephone number on the bottom of the paper.

"Thank you, thank you very much." 

Lin nodded. "We won't take up any more of your time today, but please don't hesitate to get in touch if there's anything else you want to know about Tamhas' last weeks."

Iona got to her feet, and Lin impulsively stepped closer and hugged her. "I'm sorry for your loss, Miss Kerr. Tamhas was a very good man, and I consider it a privilege to have been his friend during those last few weeks."

Karl embraced her too, telling her how grateful he was that Tamhas had saved his leg.

"We'll see ourselves out," Lin said, and Iona nodded, tears beginning to fall now.

# # # #

Once outside, Lin slipped her arm through Karl's leaning into him a little. She sensed his surprise at her gesture, and sought to explain.

"I feel awful for bringing her such bad news."

He loosened his arm, then put it around her instead. "I know you do," he said softly. "You're quite tender-hearted, really, aren't you, despite your tough exterior?" She chuckled softly, grateful for his light-heartedness. "Are we going to go and talk to Buchanan?"

"If he'll see us, yes. I just want to make sure, for my own peace of mind, that Aileen Kerr is all right."

"You don't suspect him of spiriting her away with evil intent, do you?" 

"No, nothing like that. I just don't feel that I'll have done my duty by Tamhas until I've checked. Ideally, I'd like to see her for myself, but I realise that might not be possible if Buchanan's got her doing something top secret."

"Do you want to go and see him by yourself? After all, Carvill's letter of introduction was for you, not you plus one."

She stopped, looking up at him. "Do you think I don't trust you?"

He shook his head. "I know you trust me, Lin. But Buchanan might not. After all, Carvill only met you – and while he has said he'd trust you with his life, that doesn't necessarily mean he'd trust anyone you took with you, at least not without vouching for them first. I don't mind going back to the hotel to wait – or I might go for a bit of a wander around the city as it's too early for lunch yet."

"I'd like you to come with me," she said, "but if you feel that it would be more discreet to go on my own, I will."

"I do think it might look better if you don't turn up with a hanger-on."

She sighed, sensing that he was quite determined. "Very well." 

"I'll walk you to Black Rood House," he said, "before I go wandering. Then we can meet at the hotel for lunch about one o'clock, and see how Val is at the same time."

"I hope she's okay. I feel bad for dragging her all this way."

"You didn't," Karl said, his tone firm. "She volunteered. I feel sorry for her that she's feeling poorly, but don't blame yourself for her decision to come all this way. You didn't force her into it."

"I know," Lin said. "It's just that she's got it for me bad."

He gave a soft snort. "We both have, as you know full well."

She hunched her shoulders, feeling embarrassed. "I do know," she said. "I wish you didn't feel that way, but there's nothing I can do about it."

"Nothing whatsoever," he agreed. "You can't stop us from finding you attractive and desirable, so you really should stop feeling guilty about it."

"I know," she agreed. She couldn't help the guilt though: it felt wrong to have Karl and Val longing for a closer relationship with her, and she couldn't help feeling that it might be better if she pulled a disappearing trick on them. It wasn't as if she couldn't do it – in fact, nothing would be easier. But she knew that if she did, she'd feel even more guilty at hurting them in such a fashion.

Giving herself a mental shake, she put such thoughts to the back of her mind, and concentrated on what argument she was going to present to Buchanan in order to persuade him to let her meet Aileen Kerr before she left Scotia.

# # # #

Thomas Buchanan was a few inches taller than Lin, stocky in build, and about a decade older, but she noticed that his hair was already threaded with silver amongst the brown. When he shook her hand, Lin sensed him assessing her, noting her diminutive stature, her approximate age, her short blonde hair and blue eyes, and estimating her weight. She could tell there was nothing sexual about it – and that it was an automatic process that he carried out with everyone he met. His emotions were opaque to her empathic senses, but his thoughts were less so, although they were wholly focused on establishing who she was, and whether or not she was a threat to Scotian security. 

"William Carvill speaks very highly of you," he observed after she had seated herself. "Says you saved his sister's life when she was captured by your lot. I beg your pardon – by some Germani intelligence officers."

Lin nodded. "I helped Mary Lenox to escape, yes. If I hadn't my former fellow officers would have beaten her to death."

"Yet from your point of view, she was an enemy asset," he said, his tone curious.

"Enemy asset or not, she was a human being who was simply doing her job. Yes, we all take risks when we enter enemy territory, but no one should face the possibility of being beaten to death. Captured Germani agents are treated better than that by their Angiloin counterparts – and it was my contention we should treat our captives equally well or risk reprisals for our own agents."

He nodded. "I understand you're looking for Aileen Kerr."

"I am. As Mr Carvill's letter explains, her brother Tamhas was my friend, and was instrumental in helping a small group of Adepts to escape from a Germani labour camp. He died saving others' lives, but before he died he asked me to find his sister. He was worried that he hadn't heard from her after he sent her home from Germania."

"Well, as her aunt has told you, she's working for me now."

Lin nodded. "I understand that. And I've no desire to interfere with your work, but I would feel better if I could see her, even if it's only for a few minutes."

"You don't trust me?" he asked, and she noticed that he didn't seem annoyed.

"No, it's not that. I – " She paused, biting her lip for a moment. "I don't believe you've spirited Aileen away," she told him. "I just feel that I owe it to Tamhas to speak to his sister in person. I'm assuming she isn't in contact with her aunt, so she won't yet know that her brother has died."

He shook his head slightly. "No, she doesn't know. Not yet. So you're volunteering to break the news to her?"

Lin shrugged. "I suppose I am. I just thought that she might want to hear about her brother's last few weeks from someone who was with him."

"Good." She raised her eyebrows at his empathic tone, and he gave her a half smile. "From reading Carvill's letter, and what you said about Mary Lenox, I rather thought you might feel that way. I'm prepared to let you go and see her," Lin's eyes widened at the implication in his words, "provided you swear not to discuss with anyone else anything that you see and hear while you're with Aileen."

She swallowed, then nodded. "I swear on Tamhas' grave," she said.

"Aileen Kerr is in a place called Rackwicke Bay, it's on one of a handful of small islands off the north-east coast of Scotia."

Lin gave him a startled look, wondering why it was necessary for Scotian Intelligence Service agents to be so far away. He smiled more fully this time, and she realised he'd registered her thoughts.

"There's a naval defence base there," he explained. "It's actually been there for about a century and a half, but it hasn't always manned. Now, though, it is, since we had no desire to have Germani naval craft landing there, even though we weren't officially at war with Germania."

She nodded her understanding. "And Aileen's at the base?"

"Yes. Occasionally we capture a Germani vessel – so having someone on hand who speaks the language is helpful." He pulled a sheet of notepaper towards him. "I will write a letter of introduction for you to give to her commanding officer at the base, and then you will be able to see Aileen."

"Can I take someone with me?"

He looked up, obviously surprised by the request. "Whom do you wish to take?"

"A fellow Adept, by the name of Karl Adler. He's skilled in teleportation. When we were trying to escape from Germania, before we were sent to the labour camp, he was injured, and it was Tamhas who helped him afterwards. If it wasn't for Tamhas, Karl wouldn't be able to walk."

"And will you vouch for your friend, in the matter of the security and secrecy of the base?" Buchanan asked.

"I will."

"Very well." He looked down at the sheet of paper in front of him. "I'll arrange transport for the two of you to go up to Rackwicke Bay tomorrow, so why don't you come back this afternoon, around two o'clock, and my secretary will let you know what arrangements we've made, and give you the letter as well."

"Thank you, Mr Buchanan. I appreciate it very much."

He got to his feet as Lin did, and they shook hands, then she made her way out of the office. 

# # # #

On reaching the hotel, Lin found Karl was back already; he was actually waiting for her in the lobby, which was a surprise, as was his obvious excitement.

"What's happened?" she asked urgently.

He caught hold of her elbow and led her back towards the doors. "Val's found a new friend."

Lin stopped walking to stare up at him. "Who?"

"Aileen's aunt, Iona."

"How did that happen?" asked Lin.

"Iona came to the hotel to ask if we would attend Tamhas' funeral, once his body has been shipped here, and she was asking the hotel receptionist if she could leave a note for us when Val came downstairs. She was feeling a bit better and thought to take the air for a while. She overheard Iona asking after us, so she introduced herself, and they've been talking for an hour in that small lounge at the back of the hotel, next to the restaurant. Val's the most animated I've seen her since we left Germania."

Lin felt guilty for feeling relieved at Karl's news. "Well, I'm glad," she said firmly. "Especially as you and are heading off to an island called Orcades tomorrow." He raised an eyebrow at her, so she elaborated. "It seems Aileen Kerr's been stationed at the naval base there working on behalf of the Scotian Intelligence Service, and Buchanan's given permission for us to go and see her, to break the news of her brother's death. I've checked, and it's over three hundred miles, and while Buchanan's fixing transport for us, I somehow doubt we'll be flying into a secure naval base, so I'd guess we're going to be away overnight, at least."

Karl nodded his comprehension. "So if Val's made a friend in Aileen, we can go off without worrying too much about leaving her behind."

"Exactly." She sensed his relief, as well as his interest in the upcoming trip, but she made herself ignore the speculation in his mind about the two of them going together without Val. "I'm going to go and freshen up," she told him, "and then we can have some lunch. I've got to go back to see Buchanan at two, to get the letter of introduction he's writing for me to give to Aileen's commanding officer, and to find out the travel arrangements for tomorrow."

# # # #

After lunch, which Iona stayed for, Lin and Karl left Val with Iona while they headed back to Buchanan's office in Black Rood House.

"Those two have definitely hit it off," Karl observed as they walked at a brisk pace through the city.

"Mmm." Lin sensed his flare of curiosity at her non-committal response, and she smiled up at him. "Iona's attracted to Val," she told him. "And it looks like being mutual."

He frowned. "I thought Val was attracted to you?"

"She is. There's nothing to stop her being attracted to more than one person, you know."

"I know that. It's just – well, she seemed fairly devoted to you."

"She has been. But I think that was as much because I was someone familiar in an increasingly unfamiliar world as anything else."

"You don't mind, then, if she and Iona get together?"

Lin shook her head quickly. "No. I'll be glad, in fact. She deserves to find some happiness, and I'm not at all sure I'm the right woman to make her happy."

He didn't say anything further because they had reached Black Rood House, so they went inside to see Buchanan's secretary. After that Karl persuaded her to go and look at Eidyn Burgh Castle with him, saying it would be wrong for her to leave the city without doing at least a little bit of sightseeing. Since they had plenty of time in hand, Lin didn't argue with him, and when he slipped his hand into hers as they made their way up the hill on which the Castle stood, she merely gave his fingers a squeeze and smiled up at him.

# # # #

Lin and Karl booked themselves out of the hotel early the following morning. Val was staying with Iona while they were away, and had already left the hotel late the previous afternoon. She'd seemed a bit anxious about her supposed desertion, until Lin reassured her that she was happy that Val had found a friend, and that Lin knew that Iona was as interested in Val as she was in Iona.

"Being with Iona is making you happier than being with me," Lin said, hugging her friend closely, "and that makes me happy. We'll be back in Eidyn Burgh in a couple of days, and we'll be staying here until after Tamhas' funeral, so you and Iona have plenty of time to get to know one another properly." Lin kissed her cheek, then released her friend, and felt nothing but relief and gratitude that Val was going to be with someone who really cared about her.

They took the train north from Eidyn Burgh to Thursa, which they'd been told was the northernmost inhabited town in Scotia, then they travelled by ferry to Orcades. Since the ferry wasn't a daily one, however, they had to spend a night at a hotel in Thursa and take the ferry the next day.

When they got to the hotel, however, they found there was only one room left. "It's a studio room," the assistant manager explained. "with a separate sitting room."

"We'll take it," Lin said. She felt Karl's surprise and glanced up at him. "I'm too tired after spending ten hours on the train, to go looking for another hotel."

He nodded understandingly, and she signed the register for them both, then accepted the key from the young woman, who told them where they could find the dining room.

"Can we get room service?" Lin asked.

"Oh yes, ma'am. If you use the telephone in your room – just press zero, and you'll be connected to this desk, and we will pass on your order to the kitchen."

"Thank you."

# # # # 

"I didn't expect you to share a room with me," Karl observed as Lin let them into their room.

"I know." She set her suitcase down beside the wardrobe, shrugged out of her coat, kicked off her shoes, then flopped down onto the large bed, closing her eyes. "But I mean it about being too tired to go anywhere else."

"Very well." 

She felt the bed sink slightly as he sat down beside her, and she opened her eyes to see him looking at her with a thoughtful expression. "Oh shit!"

He looked startled by her exclamation. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I've just realised what an invidious position I've put you in. Expecting you to share a bed with me when – "

"Lin," he said gently, reaching out to clasp her wrist. "It's okay. You can trust me to behave decently, I promise."

"I don't deserve you, Karl Adler." She slid her wrist out of his grasp, then tugged his arm to make him lie down beside her. He raised his eyebrows, and she rolled onto her side, then leaned down and kissed him. She sensed his surge of arousal, and felt her own rising to match it. 

When they pulled apart to catch their breath, he shakily observed, "Well that's definitely going to make it harder to behave decently. Are you trying to prove me wrong?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm giving you permission to behave as indecently as you like."

His eyes widened as his eyebrows rose. "You are? What happened to you not wanting to get involved with anyone while there's a war on?"

"I changed my mind." She shifted so that she lay with her upper body on top of him, and her legs between his.

"Well, far be it from me to complain." He wrapped his arms around her and resumed kissing her, and she hummed in approval.

# # # #

They arrived on Orcades around mid-morning, and were met by a young woman in the Scotian Naval uniform who, after checking their identities, led them over to a jeep and drove them across the island to where two round towers stood up against the wintry horizon. Lin noticed a cluster of one storey buildings around the towers, and surmised that this was the naval defence base. 

"Mr Buchanan told me the base has been here for some time," she said, and the young woman nodded.

"Yes ma'am. The towers were built to defend against Buonaparte, the leader of the Gauls, in the middle of the nineteenth century."

Lin nodded, recalling learning about the self-styled Gaulish Emperor at school. Before she could ask further questions, they arrived and the young woman let them out of the jeep, then led the way inside one of the low buildings, down a corridor, and into an office, where a dark-skinned man got to his feet to greet them.

"Commodore Robins," the man said, and offered his hand to them both. 

Lin introduced them both, then passed him the letter from Thomas Buchanan, which he read swiftly, before turning to the young woman.

"Where is Aileen Kerr this morning?"

"She's just finished interviewing the captain of that submarine, sir."

Robins nodded. "Very well. Go and find her, and ask her to meet our visitors in the canteen. No one will be using it for another hour, so they can talk there in peace." The young woman gave a salute, then turned on her heel and marched out. "The ferry leaves on the return trip to the mainland at fifteen hundred hours," he told them. "If your conversation with Ms Kerr is going to take longer than that, we can give you both a bed for the night, though you'll have to bunk in with the other civilians."

"Thank you," Lin said. "We are hoping to take the ferry back today."

He nodded, then pressed a button on the combined telephone and intercom on his desk. "Could you come in please, Mrs Harding."

A moment later the door opened and a rather older woman stepped in. "Could you please take Ms Kluge and Mr Adler to the canteen?" She nodded, and Robins got to his feet as Lin and Karl did, then shook hands across the desk. "Let me know if there's anything you need."

"Thank you." Lin understood that his brisk manner was that of an exceptionally busy man who had two hundred personnel under his command, and she didn't begrudge his desire to get on with his work.

Mrs Harding led them back through the building until they reached the canteen where they found the young woman who'd driven them here, together with another young woman who had enough of Tamhas and Iona's looks to make it obvious that this was Aileen Kerr.

Lin could sense the younger woman's bafflement at their presence, and noted that her immediate assumption was that her aunt was ill or in trouble, rather than her brother. She felt a surge of sorrow at the thought of the news she was about to break, and momentarily considered taking Karl's hand, but she restrained herself.

Mrs Harding and the other young woman left, and Lin and Karl settled into chairs opposite Aileen. He put his left hand on her leg under the table, and squeezed gently, and she felt grateful for his support and strength.

"Hello, Aileen. I'm Lin and this is Karl. We're Germani, and we've come to give you some news about your brother Tamhas."

Lin saw realisation dawn in the young woman's eyes, and she quickly got to her feet and moved around the table to hold Aileen as she broke down in tears.

# # # #

Aileen Kerr travelled back to Eidyn Burgh with Lin and Karl after Robins granted her five days compassionate leave. He'd been apologetic that he couldn't spare her for any longer, explaining to Lin and Karl as the young woman went to pack a bag, that she and an older gentlemen were the only two Germani speakers available to him at present.

The three of them stayed overnight at the Station Hotel, then they caught the train early the following morning. Aileen seemed outwardly composed, but Lin wasn't fooled: she could sense the younger woman's combination of sorry, anger, and guilt at the death of her older brother, so she encouraged Aileen to talk, subtly drawing her into recalling some of the happy times she'd shared with Tamhas while they'd been living in Germania.

So Aileen talked of the loss of their mother when she was only four, and how Tamhas, aged ten, had taught her to read and write in Germani, as well as helping her with her reading and writing in Angiloi. She recalled how an accidental fall from her bicycle at the age of five, which had resulted in her breaking her arm in two places, had inspired Tamhas to choose to study medicine once he was older.

The more Aileen talked, the less anger Lin sensed in her for her brother's death, until she eventually observed to Lin that she'd always suspected he'd end up dying as a consequence of trying to save someone else's life.

Iona was waiting for them at the station when their train pulled in; Lin had telephoned her the evening before to let her know that Aileen would be coming back with them, and what time their train was due to arrive in Eidyn Burgh. Karl found a taxi and supervised the loading of Aileen's cases into the book while Lin asked Iona about Val.

"She's very well, thank you," Iona said, blushing slightly, and Lin sensed that the two women had already become lovers. She wasn't surprised, having felt that Val was more than ready to fall in love with the right woman, and Lin didn't doubt that Iona was exactly the right woman.

She and Karl saw aunt and niece off, then made their way to their hotel, wanting nothing more than to bathe, eat, and sleep, although Lin sensed that Karl would be delighted to indulge in some leisurely love-making if she felt so inclined.

"I need a bath and a meal before we do anything else," she told him as they climbed the steps to the hotel's rather imposing front doors. "After that, well I'll let you know how exhausted I feel."

Karl kissed her softly before pushing open one of the doors. "I can be patient," he said in a dignified tone.

"I know, love, I know." She smiled up at him. "I promise I'm not going to stop rewarding your considerable patience any time soon."

Crossing the lobby to the reception desk, Lin signed them in, then accepted from the receptionist a handful of envelopes containing various telephone messages. They took the lift up to their room, and she began opening the messages.

"One from Iona, to say that Tamhas' funeral is the day after tomorrow. One from Val, assuring us that she's all right. Oh!"

"What?"

"This one is from William Carvill to say that his sister Mary is back from her most recent mission, and inviting us to have dinner with them when we return to Lunden. He says he's got a proposition for us."

Karl frowned. "I wonder what that can be?"

She shook her head. "I suppose we'll find out once we get there."

"True." 

As they made their way to their room Lin wondered just what scheme Carvill had dreamed up, and she felt her pulse quicken when she considered the possibility that he might want to use herself and Karl in an intelligence operation against the Germani. If it meant stopping the Fuehrer, he could sign her up instantly.

**Author's Note:**

> Cast:  
> Judi Dench - Lin Kluge  
> Maggie Smith - Val Houk  
> Daniel Craig - Karl Adler  
> Tom Wilkinson – George Masters – PM of Angiloi  
> Bill Nighy – Richard Finch – Minister of War, Angiloi  
> Peter de Jersey – James Mistral – Air Chief Marshall, Angiloi  
> Rory Kinnear – William Carvill – Head of Military Intelligence, Angiloi  
> Michael Kitchen - Thomas Buchanan - Head of MI, Scotia  
> Colin Salmon - Commodore Robins


End file.
